JOHNNY PATE’S LOOK OF LOVE

By O-Dub

Johnny Pate: Constant Wind
From Outrageous (MGM, 1970)

I recently copped a Pate LP that I should have probably had years ago: Set a Pattern. It’s one of those “big in the ’90s/diggers” albums given the inclusion of “Look of Love” but as nice a Bacharach cover as it is, it’s a cut that really has no major function except for sample filing.

In contrast, I had totally forgotten about another one of Pate’s LPs from the same era: Outrageous. To me, it’s also a bit of a one-tracker but luckily, I love that one track. “Constant Wind” reminds me a good deal of “Belle Isle Daze” by the Lyman Woodard Organization. Both prominently feature organ but it’s not just an instrumentation similarity. It’s also the mega-chill Latin vibe that both have, especially with Pate’s use of flutes and Woodard’s strings. I suppose you could file Mancini’s great “Lujon” in there too.